REGIONALOUTLOOK
“Growing environmental consciousness and the urgent need to act against soaring carbon emission levels have forced governments to put forth policies and programs that address this mounting challenge,“ says Sriram. As a result, she continues, introduction of the solar cities program, solar credits program, solar flagships programs and various other renewable energy programs encompassing solar PV technologies have rapidly encouraged adoption as well as attracted new entrants into the lucrative ANZ region.
The topographical advantage of the region, especially Australia with its very high solar (direct sunlight) radiation, has also led to new growth opportunities in the solar thermal market.
The introduction of feed-in tariff is expected to be a big stimulant for on-grid solar PV system installations for both distributed and centralized solar power plants, says Sriram. “State-wise solar PV targets too have led to increasing demand for solar PV systems. In many remote locations, solar PV systems are largely promoted along with diesel fired generator sets to satisfy on-site power needs of small communities.“
However, market penetration of solar PV systems has been challenged by the continued dominance of coal in the overall electricity mix. The ANZ region, especially Australia, is the world’s fourth largest producer of coal and has estimated reserves of 76 billion tonnes. In addition, well- developed and stable power infrastructure restricts the usage of solar PV systems in urban areas.
“In several cases,” says Sriram, “adoption of expensive solar PV systems becomes only a secondary option as there are several other low- cost distributed power generation technologies that satisfy the on-site power requirements of the end users. Direct threat arises from the proven, low-cost and easily available diesel fired generator sets and wind power systems.”
Solar PV systems market growth will continue to rely on government support until the price reaches grid parity. This includes the government’s introduction of a uniform gross feed-in tariff scheme at a national level.
Information dissemination from the concerned government agencies about the proposed projects, favourable locations for installation, existing approval processes, and technical guidelines needs to be readily available to prospective project developers and end users. “In few Australian states and in New Zealand, aggressive measures need to
be adopted to increase the overall awareness levels about the long-term benefits of solar PV power systems,“ concludes Sriram.
A small taster
At present there are around 50 countries offering FiT’s to stimulate their local industries but as can be seen many of these countries also have local variations that companies need to be aware of.
Unfortunately this means there are many options for companies to choose when considering market expansion. With so many options it becomes business risk whether you pick the right region for expansion as no-one is able to pick, with accuracy, the state of the global market place. This article is only a small number of potential markets and next edition we will continue looking at regional growth opportunities around the globe.
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27
www.solar-pv-management.com Issue V 2010
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